Three keys to victory against Packers
For the third straight year, the Lions go into Week 2 looking to grab their first win of the season -- something they achieved a year ago and failed to do in 2018.
They enter Lambeau Field Sunday, looking to win their first game against the Green Bay Packers since Week 17 of the 2018 campaign.
Here are three keys to victory for the Lions in their Week 2 tilt with the Packers.
Better fourth quarter
Easier said than done. But, if the Lions get a lead Sunday, they need to hold onto it.
They cannot afford to let another fourth-quarter advantage to slip away.
Blowing leads in the final quarter -- which has led to eight losses since the start of the 2019 season -- has become a defining mark of the Matt Patricia-Bob Quinn regime in Detroit.
It would simply be unacceptable for Patricia to allow it to happen for a second straight week and on top of that, for a second consecutive week against an NFC North divisional foe.
The offense needs to be smarter -- Lions franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford can’t be taking sacks that result in losses of nine yards as he did in Week 1 against the Bears -- and the defense needs to be much more effective in stopping the pass in order to prevent a late-game collapse against the Packers.
Establish a pass rush
Speaking of being more effective on defense, the Lions need to find some semblance of a pass
rush before Sunday’s contest with Green Bay rolls around.
It’s the only way in which Detroit will be able to stop Aaron Rodgers — or at the very least, be able to curtail his production.
Rodgers & Co. are coming off a 43-point performance against the Minnesota Vikings, and they’re probably salivating at the mouth thinking about what they can do against Detroit’s suspect defense.
The Lions, as a team, recorded a combined one sack (courtesy of defensive end Trey Flowers), in their Week 1 loss to the Bears.
If Patricia’s squad wants to gain any respect from the rest of the league and start looking like a playoff contender before it’s too late, the pass rush must improve.
And it needs to happen starting Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field.
Don’t settle for field goals
As for Detroit’s offense, it needs to keep its foot on the gas pedal, especially going up against a potent Green Bay offensive attack led by Rodgers, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Stafford and the Lions’ offense need to score points in the final quarter -- and not just field goals.
In the team’s Week 1 contest
with the Bears, the offense had to settle for three Matt Prater field goals. Prater also attempted a fourth FG -- from 55 yards out in the fourth quarter -that he did not make.
When the Lions get into the red zone in their Week 2 matchup with the Packers, they need to punch it in for six.
They can ill-afford to settle for field goals.
If they consistently do so Sunday, they not only will get beat, but they will also more than likely get blown out against their NFC North divisional rivals.
This article was produced by the staff at Sports Illustrated/All Lions. For more, visit si.com/nfl/ lions